Lowertown

Name, where are you from? 
Lowertown. We are Avsha and Olivia and we’re from Atlanta, Georgia.

Describe your style in three words?
A: Rough n tuff.
O: Pretending it works.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
A: The best gig I ever went to I think is David Byrne performing 'American Utopia'. His choreographed dancing and amazing set created an insane atmosphere and to see him dance so gracefully, so cool. All of his musicians were incredibly talented and the music was amazing.
O: Alex G on his Rocket tour in around 2018 was one of my favourite shows. Alex had been one of my favourite artists for a while and that was the first time I got to see him live. Alex takes song requests from the audience for about half the show and that resulted in him playing most of my favourite songs by him. 

If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
A: I would say Elliott Smith because I think our styles would feel comfortable together, and there wouldn’t be a lot of people expecting something to mosh too, although I do love a good mosh as long as I’m not part of it. I would also say Joni Mitchell because I think to see her energy up close would probably be life-changing. 
O: Modest Mouse and definitely Elliott Smith. I agree with Avsha about our style of music fitting really well with Elliott’s. I would also love to play with Modest Mouse because they’re one of my favourite bands and I think the louder songs from our setlist would compliment a Modest Mouse show very well!

Which subcultures have influenced you?
O: 2000s indie-folk, lo-fi from the 2000-2010s, '90s grunge.
A: 2000s indie and '90s jungle and electronic

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
A: I would spend an hour with David Bowie. I think that one may be a little obvious but that doesn’t change the fact for me that absorbing some of the experience and knowledge from him even for an hour would probably change how I live life.
O: Probably Nina Simone. She was one of the most powerful women and best lyricists of all time. She also had such a powerful stage presence. I went through a period of time where I watched so many of her recorded live shows and every time I put one on, I felt so drawn in and emotionally involved. Performing seemed so natural for her. She also overcame so much throughout her life and I find her a big inspiration because of that.

Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
O: Trans-Pecos in Brooklyn has been my favourite venue to date. I love everyone who works there and the crowd that night had some of the best energy we have played for. Small venues that support up and coming artists are so important to the niches of music and for fostering the growth of young musicians. We still talk to some of the local musicians that we met at that show.
A: I loved Trans Pecos too. The energy there and the people’s universal love for music made it a really great experience. We were a small band opening up for someone else, but there was still so much comradery between the musicians and the audience. It felt like the people just loved live music regardless of what genre, so it was a really happy environment. 

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
A: Haruomi Hosono. I think his work as an electro-pop musician as well as his more folky music is tragically overlooked, but it’s some of the best '70s and '80s music I think the world has to offer. 
O: Phil Elverum is one of my biggest lyrical and sonic inspirations. I love his lyrical focus on nature and his raw emotional power that his music is charged with. His album 'The Glow Part 2' from his project The Microphones was extremely formative to my music making journey in high school.